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Friday, March 3, 2017

Top 100 countries experiencing a decline in cancer-related deaths (1990-2015)

by Ihor Cap

The World Health Organization Update for February 2017 tells us that cancer is the second leading cause of death worldwide and was responsible for almost 14 million new deaths in 2012. That's every sixth person globally. The economic impact of cancer is huge as well. It was estimated to cost some US$ 1.16 trillion in 2010 alone.
The most common cancers in 2012 reported by
CDC - Global Cancer Statistics for both sexes worldwide were: 

1. Lung cancer (19% of all cancer deaths)
2. Liver cancer (9% of all cancer deaths)
3. Stomach cancer (9% of all cancer deaths)
4. Colorectal cancer (9% of all cancer deaths)
5. Breast cancer (6% of all cancer deaths)
6. Cancer of the esophagus (5% of all cancers diagnosed)
7. Cancer of the pancreas (5% of all cancers diagnosed), and
8. Other (39%).

Data Source: GLOBOCAN 2012: Estimated Cancer Incidence, Mortality and Prevalence Worldwide in 2012.

The total cancer burden is highest in the affluent societies of the western world and is mostly due to tumors related to smoking and an unhealthy lifestyle, says the June 2003 World Cancer Report. However, certain types of cancer like breast cancer for women have been decreasing in some Western countries since 1989 due to advances in treatment, earlier detection, and increased awareness. Paralleling this development is a decline in prostate cancer in men, also due to better detection methods, and other medical advances. 

General cancer death rates may be declining around the world but other specific incidence and death rates like melanoma skin cancer are on the rise. Countries like Saint Lucia (+5.02%), Rwanda (+5.86%), Burundi (+7.08 %), and South Africa (+9.92) were unable to sustain their momentum to decrease cancer deaths in the last 5-year study period in spite of their overall 25-year positive performance. Cancer deaths have resumed their climb upwards for these countries between 2010 and 2015, but most countries on the top 100 list continue to experience a decrease in cancer death rates.

HealthGrove by Graphiq publishes some of the deepest insights into these trends worldwide and they have noticed an all-encompassing decline in age-standardized cancer deaths throughout the whole world. They ranked 100 countries from 1 (highest percentage change) to 100 (lowest percentage change), adjusting for the age and both sexes combined, to determine which countries are experiencing a greater decline in cancer deaths in the year 2015 compared to the year 1990, as well as from 2010 to 2015. Consult the table below to see which countries on the list are faring better than others. The countries with the highest declines in cancer deaths are ranked higher up in the table with the most favorable one listed as #1, and countries experiencing lower declines in cancer deaths are ranked further down the table with the lowest declines ending in #100. See where your country is on this list.

Table of Rankings of Top 100 Countries Experiencing a Decline in Cancer Deaths


RANK #COUNTRY1990-2015
25-year Percent Change
in Cancer Death Rate
2010-2015
5-year Percent Change
in Cancer Death Rate
1 Maldives -42.33 percent -0.29 percent
2 Turkey -36.21 percent -1.27 percent
3 Bahrain -34.27 percent -1.89 percent
4 Luxembourg -32.23 percent -6.62 percent
5 Turkmenistan -30.94 percent -6.23 percent
6 Ethiopia -30.51 percent +1.08 percent
7 Uzbekistan -29.34 percent -3.54 percent
8 Tajikistan -29.25 percent -7.93 percent
9 Singapore -28.71 percent -2.32 percent
10 Burundi -28.11 percent +7.08 percent
11 Czech Republic -27.05 percent -7.81 percent
12 Zimbabwe -26.86 percent -15.6 percent
13 Iceland -24.75 percent -4.14 percent
14 Belgium -23.74 percent -2.36 percent
15 China -23.71 percent -11.12 percent
16 Kyrgyzstan -22.66 percent -5.35 percent
17 Azerbaijan -22.42 percent -10.52 percent
18 Slovenia -21.36 percent -11.63 percent
19 Austria -21.24 percent -1.65 percent
20 Moldova -21.19 percent -15.1 percent
21 Germany -20.83 percent -2.12 percent
22 Italy -20.1 percent -1.45 percent
23 Switzerland -19.53 percent -4.55 percent
24 Ukraine -19.33 percent -2.58 percent
25 Peru -19.25 percent -3.08 percent
26 New Zealand -19.1 percent -3.66 percent
27 United Kingdom -19.08 percent -3.48 percent
28 South Korea -18.97 percent -2.53 percent
29 Rwanda -18.93 percent +5.86 percent
30 Equatorial Guinea -18.9 percent -1.38 percent
31 Netherlands -18.61 percent -6.01 percent
32 Colombia -18.59 percent -6.78 percent
33 Algeria -18.59 percent -0.52 percent
34 United States -18.35 percent -0.25 percent
35 Finland -17.86 percent -3.92 percent
36 The Bahamas -17.81 percent +1.09 percent
37 Kazakhstan -17.77 percent -3.49 percent
38 Chile -17.43 percent -2.54 percent
39 Jordan -17.3 percent -3.82 percent
40 Bolivia -17.27 percent -0.55 percent
41 Slovakia -16.94 percent -8.66 percent
42 Hungary -16.49 percent -13.11 percent
43 Mauritania -16.42 percent +3.86 percent
44 Bhutan -16.33 percent +2.78 percent
45 Malta -16.17 percent -2.22 percent
46 Namibia -16.14 percent -5.11 percent
47 Estonia -16.12 percent -6.44 percent
48 Russia -15.88 percent -7.09 percent
49 Australia -15.73 percent -0.99 percent
50 Congo -15.58 percent +2.59 percent
51 Denmark -15.31 percent -4.03 percent
52 Cyprus -15.24 percent -10.2 percent
53 Portugal -15.22 percent -5.77 percent
54 Nigeria -15.18 percent +1.09 percent
55 Israel -14.91 percent -0.03 percent
56 Canada -14.9 percent -1.57 percent
57 Laos -14.76 percent -3.05 percent
58 Japan -14.7 percent -2.46 percent
59 Panama -13.64 percent -1.06 percent
60 Costa Rica -13.58 percent -0.01 percent
61 France -13.55 percent -1.75 percent
62 Gabon -13.51 percent +4.25 percent
63 Comoros -13.16 percent  +5.02 percent
64 Mali -13.09 percent +3.94 percent
65 Sweden -12.94 percent -2.36 percent
66 Spain -12.75 percent -5.28 percent
67 The Gambia -12.38 percent -1.89 percent
68 Ghana -12.3 percent +4.03 percent
69 Timor-Leste -12.12 percent 0.59 percent
70 Lebanon -11.67 percent -3.93 percent
71 Haiti -11.56 percent -0.59 percent
72 United Arab Emirates -11.35 percent -1.06 percent
73 Poland -11.28 percent -6.82 percent
74 Samoa -10.61 percent -1.45 percent
75 Myanmar -10.54 percent -2.53 percent
76 Ireland -10.45 percent -3.98 percent
77 Andorra -10.34 percent +1.58 percent
78 Lithuania -10.26 percent -6.81 percent
79 Norway -10.23 percent -5.33 percent
80 Croatia -10.09 percent -4.73 percent
81 South Africa -9.89 percent +9.92 percent
82 Tunisia -9.53 percent +1.69 percent
83 India -9.52 percent -1.01 percent
84 Argentina -9.4 percent -0.38 percent
85 Trinidad and Tobago -9.31 percent -0.52 percent
86 Nepal -9.24 percent  +1.7 percent
87 Bangladesh -9.13 percent  +1.56 percent
88 Qatar -8.99 percent +1.05 percent
89 Sudan -8.75 percent -0.48 percent
90 Bosnia and Herzegovina -8.49 percent -3.47 percent
91 Uruguay -8.01 percent -0.09 percent
92 Sri Lanka -7.98 percent -8.54 percent
93 Montenegro -7.47 percent -1.76 percent
94 Greece -7.31 percent -2.78 percent
95 Saint Lucia -6.95 percent +5.02 percent
96 Mauritius -6.79 percent -1.9 percent
97 Iran -6.61 percent -1.73 percent
98 Morocco -6.57 percent + 0.77 percent
99 Brazil -6.46 percent +0.67 percent
100 Brunei -6.3 percent +1.77 percent

Dr. Ihor Cap is an Education Research Specialist and a Web Author.